Door holder or stay



March 20, 1934. R. w. THORNLEY DOOR HOLDER OR STAY Filed Dec. 8, 1932 Hair- 12 @\\\\&\\\\K\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ Patented Mar. 20, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT I OFFICE 1 Claim.

This invention relates to a holding or staying means for garage or other doors.

It is aimed to provide a novel device including a bar pivotally mounted and having a latch lever and cushioning means cooperating with a guide bracket on the door.

The more specific objects and advantages will become apparent from a consideration of the description following taken in connection with the accompanying drawing illustrating an operative embodiment.

In said drawing:-

Figure 1 is a view showing the invention in connection with garage doors looking from the 16 interior of a garage,

Figure 2 is an enlarged horizontal sectional view taken substantially on the line 2-2 of Figure 1,

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary elevatio showing the holder or stay in the same position as in Figure 1,

Figure 4 is a cross section taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 2, and

Figure 5 is a detail showing the holder or stay in position holding the door open.

Referring specifically to the drawing, 10 designates a garage fragmentarily, having doors 11 mounted to swing outwardly on hinges 12. To the door frame or equivalent 13 brackets 14 are rigidly fastened in any suitable manner as at 15 and to each bracket a stay bar 16 is pivoted at 17. Such stay bar 16 may be of angle iron as shown and they slidably pass through openings 18 in brackets 19 fastened one to each door in any suitable manner as at 20.

At the free end of each bar 16 a latch lever 21 is pivoted at 22, such latch levers being weighted as at 23 so as to be balanced and remain in the positions shown in Figures 1, 3, and 5. When the doors swing open the free ends of the latch levers 21 are adapted to pass through the openings 18, the same having inclined surfaces 24 to ride on the walls of the slot, thereby elevating the latch levers and enabling the same to thereupon fall so that a shoulder 25 will engage the brackets.

Also at said free ends of the bars, the same are Ill upturned to form lugs 26. Bolts 27 are slidably secured in the lugs 26. An abutment member 28 is carried by each bolt, and between such member and the lugs, expansive coil springs 29 surroundthe bolts.

As a result of the construction described, when the door is moved to open position, the latch levers 21 will pass through the openings 18 and the shoulder 25. coact with the brackets 19 as shown in Figure 5. Before the shoulder 25 passes through the openings 18 the bolt 27 and member 28 engage the bracket and hence there is a cushioned engagement with the bracket and the spring 29 is further compressed or tensioned before the shoulder 25 coacts with the bracket. Thus the spring in the position shown in Figure 5 is compressed and in combination with the shoulder 25 effectively holds the bar 16 and this action is automatic as will be understood through the opening of the door.

In the case of inwardly swinging doors, rather than the outwardly swinging door shown, the devices constituting my invention will be applied exteriorly of the garage.

Various changes may be resorted to provided they fall within the spirit and scope of the invention.

I claim as my invention:

A device of the class described comprising an angle bar having one flange horizontal and the other flange depending therefrom, a bracket having an opening through which the bar slides, said depending flange having a portion returned under the horizontal flange, a latch lever pivoted to the bar between said returned portion and depending flange, a weighted portion on the latch lever disposed under and normally abutting said returned portion, said latch lever being engageable with said bracket through opening movement of a door or the like, a cushioning spring means engageable with and compressible by the bracket prior to locking engagement of the latch lever with the bracket and an upstanding lug integral with the horizontal flange slidably mounting the cushioning spring means.

RALPH W. THORNLEY. 

